Golden Years
Debbie Naugle • Aug 27, 2015

Golden years are turning into Green Years in Southern Maryland!

The adage, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is apparently a misconception. When you consider how many people of the senior demographic are continually trying new things in Southern Maryland, such as making green changes to their lifestyle, it would seem that change is possible no matter a person’s age.

The green movement in the media tends to be skewed toward the younger demographic. However, plenty of older individuals are making strides to adopt earth-friendly changes and spread the word about helping the environment in Calvert, St. Mary’s and Charles counties.

Seniors comprise a considerable chunk of the population. For instance, nearly 13 percent of the United States is over the age of 65. Also, with high numbers of seniors retired or working minimal hours, they are a demographic that has a lot of time to devote to going green.

Seniors are not new to the issues of going green. Many grew up during the Great Depression when recycling and reusing were par for the course. However, doing so back then was a necessity rather than a widespread social movement. Seniors are also less reticent to go without modern conveniences that may do more to hurt the planet than protect it. They are used to walking or bicycling to get around. And the concept of hopping on a train or bus instead of driving individual cars is something many embrace.

Retailers, housing developers and other business-minded individuals are finding that it pays to target the senior market in terms of going green. This demographic that grew up on being frugal finds many benefits to incorporating green concepts into their lifestyle.
A popular housing builder and Harris Interactive polled Baby Boomers ages 45 to 62 in 2008 about their interest in the environment. Some findings include:

  • 94 percent of Boomers had taken steps in the last 6 months to go green.
  • 79 percent wanted to do more to reduce their carbon footprint.
  • 81 percent were concerned about what type of world they’re leaving for their grandchildren.
  • 25 percent said that a green house is one of the smartest investments a person can make.

With that in mind, SJ Johnson can help seniors and their families make environmentally friendly changes around the house in an effort to both save money and help the planet.

 

 

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